French “yellow vests” more prone to conspiracy theories: Survey

PARIS: “Yellow vest” protesters are more likely to believe conspiracy theories than other French people, according to a survey published on Monday (Feb 11). ‘Yellow vest’ protests began in November in rural areas and spread across the country, with riots in Paris. (Photo: AFP/Gerard Julien) Nearly a quarter believe a gun attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg in December was ordered by the French government to deflect attention from the anti-government protests, an Ifop poll for Conspiracy Watch and the centre-left Jean Jaures Foundation found. And a further fifth continue to have doubts about the official account of the attack in which five people died, it said. “Yellow vest” activists are also much more likely to give credence to shadowy “Zionist plots” and a popular conspiracy theory that mass immigration is being organised by the elites, it found. In general, one in 10 French people thought the Strasbourg attack was part of a government plot to “distract attention and create fear” when the protests were at their height, Ifop said. People who passively support the movement, however, were much less likely to question the official line that radicalised small-time criminal Cherif Chekatt was responsible for the killings, the survey said. The “yellow vest” movement, now in its 14th week, began as a revolt against a rise in fuel prices but has since morphed into an expression of general discontent. Its leaders and supporters have been blamed for a tsunami of a fake news on social media, with journalists the… [Read full story]